


Soft Jazz

by oakfoxfire



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Crime Fighting, Crime Scenes, F/M, Food, No Smut, Vignettes, but maybe talk about smut?, pre-existing relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-03
Updated: 2016-06-10
Packaged: 2018-07-12 01:57:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7079950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oakfoxfire/pseuds/oakfoxfire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nick and Judy work on a case that seems impossible. Done in vignettes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1

After a solid hour the soft jazz of the elevator was starting to get to Nick. First he brushed the notes away as if they were a physical presence. Finally his ears lowered.

“Carrots, if they don't turn off this music--”

Judy waved her arm absently. The rabbit heard him but remained focused on the crime scene. Music included, there was nothing out of the ordinary inside of the elevator. She had expected to see blood or, at least, signs of a struggle. They had found hair and paw prints, but even the cleanest elevator in Savannah Square would be littered from use. The matte steel panels shifted abruptly to amber at the chair-rail and the buttons glowed orange.

“How did he get out?”

The fox breathed heavily out of his nose, “Well, any ghost could do it in a Jiffy.”

“Nick, this is serious.”

The wolf, Andrew Growler, had stepped into the elevator and vanished. A day later his son had reported him missing. The only lead was footage of him boarding on from the third floor and never getting off.

“I don't know. We're not forensics, Fluff, they should be the ones figuring this out.” Judy's ears flattened against her back and she turned back toward the far wall of the elevator.

“We know it's not through the roof escape. The alarm would have triggered--”

“Only if he didn't do it right.” Judy turned to him and waited for an explanation.

“Look, I've never broken into an elevator. Or out of one. But it doesn't take much prep work to fool most alarms. Just a bit of research and the right tools.”

“It doesn't check out, forensics has examined the shaft and the escape and neither show signs--”

Nick raised his paws in exasperation. “Then we're talking ghosts. I don't know what else to tell you.”

Judy lowered herself to the ground and pressed her eye to the gap between the elevator and eleventh floor. Nick watched amused and, for a moment, the music tuned out. Her tail twitch slightly and he forced himself to look away. When the she hopped back to her feet he could tell she had found nothing new. Her nose twitched in a way Nick knew meant frustration. Carefully he put his paw on her shoulder.

“The scene will be here in the morning. Let's report back to Bogo and maybe grab something to eat. I'm starved, and I know you haven't eaten since breakfast.”

Defiance was her first reaction. After a moment her ears raised and a tired smile dragged at her lips. “Ok Slick, what were you thinking?”

“There's a great place in Outback Island I know you haven't tried.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New information opens up on the Growler case and Bogo warns Nick and Judy to avoid making stupid decision.

The next day, when Chief Bogo called them into his office, Nick was certain he must have done something. He counted his most recent discretions off his fingers and wondered how the buffalo could have discovered any of them. It’s wasn’t as if gambling was strictly forbidden. Or maybe it was. He had never bothered to read the handbook.  Judy, on the other hand, seemed unperturbed. Her ears perked and she smiled as she reminded Nick to tuck his shirt in. The smell from her new body wash, something with a raspberry base, caused Nick to salivate.    

Bogo looked at them over a folder and snorted. He pointed at the seat across from his desk and said, simply, “Sit.”

Nick crawled into the large leather upholstered seat and Judy hopped beside him, the momentum of the land causing him to start subconsciously. Bogo rolled his eyes but didn’t object.

“I have just been given new information on the Growler case.”

Judy’s ears stood up and Nick, at first, was relieved. The small rabbit at his side bounced to stand but Nick frowned. It was hard to read the Chief but Nick was starting to get the hang of it and he could tell this news wasn’t going to be good. 

“J.P. Maregan bought Stagenstien Finance this morning. Growler was a low level negotiator for the buy out. Nothing substantial, mostly paperwork, but he worked the case.”

“Oh! Have you brought anyone in? Do you need us to pick anyone up? We can investigate. Are we going to interview--”

“ Hopps! Quiet.” Chief Bogo interrupted. The rabbit’s ears drooped and her paw tightened on the chair’s arm. 

“All investigation of the merger is being handled by the Zootopia Financial Crimes Unit. You are not to interfere.”

“But sir!"

“But nothing.”

Nick watched quietly and put his finger up, “Chief, you could have just emailed us. Unless you missed my beautiful face.”

The buffalo turned to Nick, his hooves tapping the desk. “Wilde, not even a mother could love that face."

Nick's paw clapped against his heart as though he had been shot. "Oh, I'm hurt. Mother says I'm the most handsome--" 

"Enough! Why do I encourage you? We are still responsible for the the physical crime scene, and investigating the murder. But you cannot interfere with the ZFCU. If they give us anything we will act on it--"

“But Chief, if I could--”

Abruptly, Bogo stood from his chair. "Do not interrupt me."  Judy righted herself from her initial shock and stood defiantly. Nick patted her back in an attempt to calm her.

The buffalo sighed.“I am not here to fight you. I called you both in so I could stop you from doing something stupid. This comes from the top. I can trust, Hopps, this won’t be a problem?”

“No, sir, but--.”

She was cut off when Bogo raised his his folder and, animatedly, went back to reading. The conversion was unequivocally over. Judy’s nose twitched and Nick knew that, even if she did listen, she would be moping all week. He slunk out of the chair and led the rabbit to the door.

In the hallway Nick leaned against the wall, a cork board filled with public announcement literature above his head. He reach up carelessly and pulled down a bright pamphlet titled, “Just Say No,” and pretended to read it. Judy, distracted, kept walking until the fox chuckled.

“Welp, looks like we have the afternoon off. How about we take the cruiser out to tundra town and slap some kids with truancy?” Nick said, projecting his voice down the hallway.

Judy turned and frowned. Her foot tapped rapidly and the creme carpet muffled her annoyance. “We have a case to crack, Nick. I don’t care what the FCU says, we are doing this.”

“Well, all Horns said was that we can’t interfere at the banks. He didn’t say we have to stop.”

Judy smiled and placed her hand on her waist. Nick knew she meant mischief. Pulling his sunglasses out of his breast pocket, the fox snapped them open in one fluid movement. 

“Before we hit the scene, you owe me a coffee.” He strode over to her, placing his glasses on her forehead. They slipped down to cover most of her head.She batted them back up and, laughing, stretched up for a kiss. Smiling, Nick leaned forward. Before contact the rabbit whispered, “It’s your turn to buy, remember?” and turned to walk toward the exit. 


End file.
